I have great sympathy for the emergency services, which are often obstructed in their work by thoughtlessly-parked cars (The Argus, January 5).

Our parking teams target illegal parking wherever it occurs but they do so especially where vehicles are causing an obstruction and hampering public transport or preventing blue-badge holders from getting to disabled-only bays.

Unfortunately, under current legislation, we don't have powers to tow away vehicles which are double parked where there are no parking restrictions - that responsibility still rests with the police.

However, we anticipate councils will get new powers to tackle double parking in the Government's forthcoming Traffic Management Bill.

-Councillor Gill Mitchell, chair, environment committee, Brighton and Hove City Council